Sideline Story

How could Amorim change Man United?

Incoming Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim has given the English club’s fans some hope after leading his current team, Sporting, to a 4-1 upset of Manchester City in the UEFA Champions League. What changes could he bring to the Red Devils after he officially takes charge of the team later this month? Can he lift United out of their recent struggles? Also in this episode, we discuss which United manager did a better job in the post Alex Ferguson era.

Duration:: 25m
Broadcast on:: 08 Nov 2024
Audio Format:: other

(upbeat music) - Hello and welcome to a sideline story. You're a destination for sports news, analysis and discussion. Semi Angguan, this week we are going to take a look at the managerial change at Manchester United. Is Ruben Amorem the right replacement? How could he alter the situation with United right now? As usual, I'm joined with Tian Yu and Brandon Gaetz for this conversation. Portuguese coach Ruben Amorem has replaced Eric Tanhark as the new Manchester United manager. He's expected to make his United debut later this month after the international break. At the current stage, he's still the head coach for Portuguese side sporting. He led the team to legal Portugal title last season and this season they made a perfect start to the Portuguese league winning the first 10 games. Brandon, it's not a bad resume, but still the Portuguese league we're talking about. So things may look different when Amorem moves over to England. I mean, Eric Tanhark had also been brilliant with Ajax before. So what are your realistic expectations of Amorem and his Manchester United in the future? Can he lift the team out of struggles? - Yeah, I think that's the concern for Manchester United fans, right, is that when Eric Tanhark arrived, I think he also came with a really good CV and I think people really thought that he was the right choice and people were very optimistic about what he could do for Manchester United, but it turned out to be an absolute train wreck for so many different reasons. So look, I mean, Ruben Amorem comes in with not much as known about him and he's relatively untested, particularly at a level like Manchester United, where you're playing in the most competitive league in the world and Manchester United is arguably the biggest club in the world, particularly when it comes to global support. It's going to be interesting to see how he handles that test. I mean, he has done very well at sporting and he has achieved good success in the Portuguese league and he's a young coach, he's only 39 years old and he's already got quite a good name for himself. And I think some of the comments that he's made in the press recently about waiting for that Manchester United move and rejecting a couple of offers. I mean, that gives me some hope because it does seem like he really did want to join Manchester United and maybe has been planning what he could do with Manchester United for a while and has maybe been watching United for a couple of years and maybe trying to figure out what he can do to improve the team. But, you know, just from a tactical point of view, he is known for his 343 formations, which is something Manchester United haven't been involved in for quite a long time and definitely requires some discipline and energy, particularly from the defensive side. So I don't think we currently have the players to implement that style. Even if we did it requires plenty of hours on the training grounds. I don't know if he can hit the ground running immediately. You know, he's going to be, he needs to be given some time to get his style on board and, you know, get to grips with some of the senior players and make decisions about which players need to come in, which players need to leave. I think it's going to take some time to see what sort of impact he can have in the long term and hopefully he is given that time. But, you know, as Manchester United fans, we also expect results pretty early on. So it'll be interesting to see how he handles all of that pressure. I mean, he's also known for his tactical flexibility and intensity, which is something that United players under Erichton Harg have definitely struggled with. So I think our team needs to work really hard to get the current players on board and get the best out of them, which is something that he is known for doing quite well. And he also needs to be very selective in the transfer window because that's also something that Erichton Harg struggled with was that he didn't get the best out of the current crop of players that he was handed. And the signings that he made just didn't have the impact of, you know, breaking into the top four or challenging the likes of Manchester City and Arsenal. But he's also known for revitalizing teams. So I think that's something that Manchester United desperately need right now. And look, he can hopefully bring some discipline and fresh energy to Manchester United and his adaptability might also help with United's inconsistent performances. And you know, he also manages to keep a competitive edge while still focusing on youth talent, which is kind of in line with Manchester United's, you know, ethos over the years, particularly in the Sir Alex Ferguson years. So I'm optimistic about, you know, his talents and, you know, his potential. But whether he can get us challenging for the likes of the top four and even for the title in his first season, I think that's highly unlikely, but hopefully we can just see signs of improvement early on and consistent improvement over the seasons. And hopefully he can make the right decisions on and off the field in terms of leading Manchester United into the future. - Yeah, one thing we definitely should agree on is that he will bring changes. But Emmarim is not the first name, most offense speculated to be the successor of Ericsson Hark in the first place. I think United had talks with Tomos Tukol and Shavi and then there's in first place. But Emmarim, can you do think he's the one that can bring United to their old glory? So at least help the team walk out of the current troubles. - Well, when I heard about the topic of this week, I can sense the excitement from Brandon. (laughs) - Absolutely. - Yeah, after knowing about this topic. Honestly, I don't think it's a good idea for United. - Oh, okay. - I'm all ears. I'm all ears. - To sign a new coach in a such a hurry. I mean, I think we can all agree that Sacking 10 Hark is the right decision 'cause he has already lost. - I would say Sacking 10 Hark is too late right now. - Yeah, it's a belated decision. 'Cause he has lost the trust from the locker room and the management as well. But paying over 10 million euros for a coach who's best offer before was from the Portuguese League, I think it's a little bit too much for me. If we look at his coaching career, Emmarim seems to be a very good manager. He guided sporting to two long-awaited Portuguese League titles as the team has been, had been waiting for this title for over 19 years before he arrived. - Right. - Yeah, and if we look at the games he played by sporting this season, like Brandon mentioned, they always have a 343 formation. And we'll find that the team's playing style under his coach is actually very impressive to watch. They're incredibly flexible during the games. And they have been one of the most aggressive size in Portugal this season. And as their games often feature starting play from the back and constantly interchanging positions, but with center backs, even joining the build up. And I think all these features, just of Emmarim's coaching style, just remind me of Eric Tanhag, okay? 'Cause he also had a great starting point, a marvelous history before coming to the United, winning the Dutch League three times. But just look at what the team turning to, what after he landed in United. Similarly, I don't think Emmarim would immediately become the savior for United this season. And it remains to be seen whether he can sort out the locker room or come up with the right formula for the current squad. - Right, I might be more optimistic here. And I checked the stats of last season, sporting and they scored 96 goals after 34 league matches. Which means they almost scored three goals last season. And this season in the first 10 games, they already obtained 35 goals. So it's a great firepower from this team. And I believe Emmarim played a big part, a huge part in this. So I assume he could help Manchester United enhance the attacking capabilities. As you guys mentioned, Emmarim is founder of Playing 343, which I think is quite demanding for the two winbacks, who needs to cover both defense and offense on both sides of the pitch. And with the current squad of Manchester United, I don't see any players other than Masrawi and Dalet, more appropriate to play those roles. But I just don't know, under the pace of the Premier League, different from the Portuguese League, can they be adapted to those positions? - Yeah, can they sustain a fire? - Yeah, that's a big question mark there. And with 343, I think Bruno Fernandez role in the team could be a little bit embarrassing as a fake line. It seems like with this formation, he doesn't really have a very proper position to play. So I think Emmarim doesn't really have ideal, perfect players to play his football and his formation. He might need to find more additions from the transfer markets. But I think eventually he will help Manchester United on the offensive side. Just it may not turn around very quickly, very soon. That means Emmarim needs time and offense. Need time too, better. However, time may not be on the United side. After 10 games in the Premier League, just 12 points. It marks the worst Premier League start for United in 38 years. And they are now in the latter half of the standings. Brandon, United's performance has been disappointing, but this start cannot be worse. From your perspective, what do you think led to United's this more start this season? I mean, last season when Redcliff took over the team, fans had high hopes that he could change the team. - I think the biggest mistake started with handing Eric Tienhag that new contract. Look, I think it may have been optimism at Inyos after he lifted the FA Cup with matches, United after their victory against Bitter City rivals Manchester City, which was undoubtedly an incredible performance, and it would have been fantastic to see matches to United carry that level of performance into the new season, but it just didn't happen. But before that victory, I think there were already signs that things were beginning to crack at matches to United, particularly in the league, where we couldn't find any consistency whatsoever. And it also became quite evident that Eric Tienhag had lost the dressing room after he fell out with the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, which I know happened quite a while ago, but I think that had an impact on the rest of the squad, the way that he handled Jaden Sancho and a couple of other players as well. And I just don't think any of the squad members got on board with Tienhag's tactics, which were never really clear cut from matches to United fans' perspective. And maybe it was the same for players where they couldn't really work out what his style was. And they also didn't seem to really adapt well to his high levels of stubbornness and the discipline that he required. It just didn't seem like the players took anything on board that he wanted. So I think that was mistake number one, and that definitely carried into the new season. But that being said, I also think that a lot of matches to United's key performers, the likes of Marcus Rashad, Garnacho, Bruno Fernandez, they just didn't step up to the plate. Whether that's linked to the manager, we will never know. But even away from the manager, the performances from individual players on the pitch has just been incredibly disappointing. And I think no matter how good you are as a manager, if your players aren't performing, there's only so much you can do. But I think it was a combination of those two factors. There were also injuries to key players. United also had very clear defensive vulnerabilities, and there was definitely struggles with squad depth. I mean, when the likes of Kobe Maynu and a couple of other players got injured, it just seemed like things fell apart for matches United. And the lack of availability of Hoiland also seemed to be a problem. And even since he's come back, he hasn't really hit the ground running. And I also just think some of the players that Eric Tenharg brought in. Look, Mazwari has been decent. I think he's actually funny enough being the most impressive player that Tenharg has brought in. But he was a complete unknown and wasn't going to turn things around for matches United. But he's been a solid performer. But the likes of Xerxes, I mean, he's been completely ineffective. Manuel Ughate, I know he's been struggling with joining the team late. And he's been in and out of the team. But when he has played, I mean, he doesn't seem to be able to hold onto the ball and just hasn't had the impact that Tenharg was hoping for. So I also just think that Tenharg's management of the team and adapting to injuries and his lack of being able to impart a style onto matches United and poor player performances and injuries. And there's so many factors, but I think a lot of the fingers definitely pointed to Eric Tenharg. So, look, I think the players definitely need to take on some blame. But I think Iniost and Eric Tenharg definitely deserve a lot of the blame as well. - Yeah, I agree. I mean, Tenharg's tactics as if there's a tactic from his side and the signings, some of the signings have been very disappointing over the years. I mean, Mason, I mean, Rashford, Bruno Fernandez really didn't have plates to their expected level. But I think most of the United fans have a common belief, United will get better and return to where they were in the past. That's why after so many years of disappointment, fans do have high hopes in this team. Many fans would argue that United did a bad job in the transfer market over the years. They didn't sign the best players, the right players to the team, or some others would say the head coach of United hasn't been good enough. But I just think the players and the head coaches haven't been fully trusted in their decisions in place. I'm just saying if Eric Tenharg had the final say on every decision that should be made in terms of how the team should perform on the pitch, which players should they sign? United might have been better, I guess. I'm just saying, it might guess. Yeah. Can you shoot Eric Tenharg beat men to be blamed for United's poor start this season? I mean, certainly. Yeah, I think he should be the main culprit behind United's decline in recent seasons, I would say. I mean, injury and the forms of players, like Browner mentioned, rash for Cassamiro as well and a bunch of other players, they have played a part in the mire that United is currently stuck in since the beginning of this season. And if we look at Eric Tenharg's two-year span with the United two titles may seem a very decent result. But the problem is that this grace he brought to the team has far outweighed the achievements he created. First of all, the seven-year loss against Liverpool. I think he's really intolerable for United fans. I think Brandon can agree with me on that. And it just created the largest margins of results in the history of clashes between the two arch enemies. And also under his coach, United has created the worst results ever in the Champions League, scoring only four points and getting eliminated in the group stage with only one victory last season. You know, the Copenhagen team had never won a single game in the Champions League for many years. And yet they advanced to the knockout stage last season thanks to the wing from United. So while he can blame it in part in bad luck and the untrust, little trust from the management and players and also our injuries, there were indeed a lot of injuries. And but it's still a lack of ability that has ultimately led to his layoff, I would say. - Yeah, Eric Thunhark is known in China among Chinese fans for his saying, "After every game in the press conference, we're on the right track, we are on the right track." (laughs) - That was always just a fence. Yeah, we're moving in the right direction, no, we're not. (laughs) - And the Chinese fans say the other 19 English pragmatic teams all want to keep Thunhark with Manchester United because they can get points from them. - Absolutely. - But I guess this question has been asked over and over again with the United manager since Alex Ferguson left the team. Should Sorshi be blamed? Should Mourinho be responsible for their dismal performance recently? So many names in this equation. Brandon, as a United fan, you've witnessed quite a time of a chaos at United in their managerial appointment. But which managers after Alex Ferguson left do you think did the best job? - Yeah, look, the last decade as a Manchester United fan has been amazing. (laughs) But look, there's been very few managers that have come in since the legendary Alex Ferguson that have had a major impact. And look, I think some big names have come in, some really respected managers that have incredible CVs have come in. You know, Louis Vanthal, Jose Mourinho, for example, and they just haven't had the ability to get the best out of the players, you know, and make the right decisions like Sir Alex Ferguson was able to do. But that being said, I think Sir Alex Ferguson was also given a lot of time and somehow had the ability to really control every element of the club. When it came to transfers, when it came to, you know, making decisions with scouting and getting youth into the team and having the ability to identify key players to bring into the team that would have an impact and imparting his style and his ethos and his discipline into the team. So Alex Ferguson somehow seemingly had the ability to do it all. And since then, no one else has been able to do so. And I think a lot of that has to do with, you know, the current climate of football. I think back in the days of Sir Alex Ferguson's biggest success, I think that players really wanted to play for Manchester United. And I think Manchester United and Sir Alex Ferguson were a lot bigger than any player. And when a player got too big for the club or started to cause any discontent in Sir Alex Ferguson's eyes when it came to the dressing room or results, they were gotten rid of. You look at David Beckham, Roy Keane, and even Christiana Ronaldo, when he got to a point where it looked like he was getting bigger than the club, then Manchester United and Sir Alex Ferguson made a great call for the club and for Ronaldo to send him to Real Madrid. And, you know, it benefited United and Christiana Ronaldo. But now it's different, you know, now the players are making incredible amounts of money. Their agents have so much power. They've got so many options. And it just looks like that desire to play for Manchester United and do everything possible for the club. And, you know, give it your absolute all to bring those results for Manchester United. That ethos has gone. And I don't know if we'll ever get that back. And I don't know if any manager will get that back. I think Jose Mourinho got closest to that because I think he is highly, highly respected as a manager and is also seemingly one of the best managers in the world when it comes to player management and personality management, although he did famously struggle with the likes of Paul Pogba and a couple of other spars that united. But I just think, so I would say Jose Mourinho has probably been the most impactful, you know, with the second place finish and the lead cup and the Europa League title. And at least keeping Manchester United in the hunt when it came to, you know, the title and top four ambitions. But I think the biggest problem is that we haven't been able to keep the ethos at our club that has made Manchester United so successful in the past. Yeah, yeah, time has changed. Players maybe now have more say in a team. And after Alex Ferguson, it seems like no one can unite this United team. I agree, trophy wise, Mourinho should be the best one after Alex Ferguson. But I just think Luis Vangel should have been given more time. He led the team to Epic Cup title and the finished in fourth and the fifth, respectively, in two Premier League seasons. With that result, today, Eric Tanhark might not be fired at all. And Vangel is really good at, you know, exploiting potentials in young talents within the team. At Bayern, he's the one that's established Thomas Muller and Philip Lam's roles in the team. So maybe given more time, he could have helped United find more promising stars within the team instead of, you know, signing players from other teams, which United did really poorly last a few seasons. But looking at this season, Brandon, do you think United still have a chance to break into the top six? I mean, I guess top four is no longer a realistic target. - Top six, I think, is even a push. Look, I think, no, honestly, I think finishing mid-table after the disastrous start that Manchester United have had, I think would be an amazing achievement. But honestly, this season, if we don't get relegated, I think that would be an achievement. I just really want us to, I think the biggest thing that needs to be focused on this season is fixing problems that matches United as opposed to league and cut performances. So we need to figure out how to stop leaking goals and tidy things up and how to get the best out of our attacking talents. I think that's a big issue for Manchester United. And just kind of, you know, plug all of the holes in the sinking ship seemingly. I think that's the thing. It's an emergency situation right now. And we need to make stock gap decisions to stop the immense decline that Manchester United is going through right now. So I think that's step number one. Once that's been achieved, then they need to be looking at what can be done in terms of getting the best out of Ruben other room, making sure that his tactics work with Manchester United and get Manchester United firing into next season and crucially identifying players that can come in, either slot into the team or at least be rotation players, but have the potential to have longevity and get to a point where they are, you know, world-class players are not able to take Manchester United to the next level and bring them back to a top four club. And then ultimately a club that's going to be challenging for a title. - Yeah, I think I read a report the other day, the hierarchy of United said the targets of winning the Premier League title in 2028. I guess it's a long shot. Let's see if MRME is the one to United to rescue or he would end up another failed experiment in United's dismal cycle after the Ferguson era. With that, we end this episode of Sightline Story. Thank you so much for joining us. Subscribe to the Sightline Story. We're happy to see the podcasts. See you next week. (upbeat music) (upbeat music) (dramatic music)